The Hamptons Doc Fest, now in its 18th year, was founded by filmmakers to champion and celebrate the rich, diverse, and eclectic world of documentary film. Hamptons Doc Fest is the only all-documentary film festival on the East End of Long Island. Our mission is to bring the work of talented documentary filmmakers to new and loyal audiences.

Hamptons Doc Fest is an annual multi-day festival that welcomes filmmakers and documentary film lovers to the historic village of Sag Harbor, NY for screenings, discussions, panels, awards, and celebrations. In this intimate, walkable setting, festival-goers enjoy the local area’s unique shops, restaurants, inns, museums, and parks. Take in the water views on Long Wharf and the Windmill aglow in holiday lights before entering Bay Street Theater. From there the newly renovated Sag Harbor Cinema, with its state-of-the-art projection and sound capabilities, is a short walk away.

Hamptons Doc Fest screens approximately 30 films including features and shorts. The festival runs for seven days in early December. For 2025, the festival begins on December 4 and ends on December 10.The festival is vibrant with the latest in documentary filmmaking and is positioned to be a must-stop at the end of the festival circuit.

Hamptons Doc Fest highlights include:
- The Pennebaker Career Achievement Award and Gala, which celebrates a visionary in the world of documentary film each year. Past honorees include Michael Moore, Sam Pollard, Dawn Porter, Sheila Nevins, Susan Lacy, and Liz Garbus.
- Saturday and Sunday mornings feature HDF's "Shorts and Breakfast Bites" programs, devoted to showcasing documentary shorts under 40 minutes.
- Young Voices program for local middle and high schools, which includes a film screening, filmmaking workshop, and tour of LTV Studios.

Year-Round Programming:
DOCS EQUINOX - a 3-day mini festival in April that focuses on an environmental theme, in honor of Earth Week.
FILMARTS+FORUM - a 12-month outreach program that screens selected films at cultural institutions, art museums, and community centers.

Awards & Prizes

Hamptons Doc Fest presents awards in the following categories:
- Audience Award to the feature receiving the highest votes from audience ballots;
- Human Rights Award to a film that celebrates courage in the face of social injustice;
- Art & Inspiration Award to a film that embraces the vibrancy and experimentation of an artist;
- Environmental Award to a film recognizing an important environmental concern;
- Breakthrough Director Award to a first-time filmmaker;
- Impact Award to a film highlighting a critical issue.

Rules & Terms

Hamptons Doc Fest
2025 Guidelines
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
. HDF does not accept works-in-progress
. Only work completed after January 2024 will be considered
. HDF does not have a formal premiere requirement but when making final decisions, programmers take a film’s exposure into consideration and will give preference to a New York or East Coast premiere.

FESTIVAL NOTIFICATION & EXHIBITION: Notification will be sent via FilmFreeway to the listed submitter by email to the Primary Contact listed on the entry form by October 1, 2025.

EXHIBITION FORMAT: The required exhibition formats and delivery date deadlines will be confirmed by the Festival after invitations have been extended and confirmed. Please check in with the Festival staff before creating your Festival exhibition copy or copies to ensure the format and technical specifications are correct.

SUBMISSION FORMAT: Hamptons Doc Fest accepts secure, password protected links (Vimeo, private YouTube, etc) as long as the link is not public.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
By submitting this film I acknowledge that I have read and understand the Terms and Conditions set by Hamptons Doc Fest and that I am agreeing to the following:

• I have the legal right to represent and to submit this film to Hamptons Doc Fest (HDF) and to the best of my knowledge, all statements on this document are true;

• There is no action, suit, claim or proceeding pending, affecting or, to the best of my knowledge, threatened against this film or its producers in connection with this film;

• I understand and agree that my film entry, if selected for HDF, may be used for promotional purposes for HDF and I grant HDF the rights to use footage, stills and/or titles and information from the film for such promotional purposes;

• Should this film win any award(s), I am authorized and/or empowered by all parties legally representing this film entry to receive such prizes and awards;

RIGHTS & CLEARANCES: HDF expects all filmmakers to secure music and talent rights to their films for festival exhibition. It is the sole responsibility of the entity submitting the films to secure permission from the copyright holder of the material in question. HDF will not be held responsible for any inclusion of uncleared copyrighted materials.
8 Reviews
Overall Rating
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  • Charles Pinck

    Hamptons Doc Fest was an amazing experience. It was a privilege to have "Filming Under Fire: John Ford's OSS Field Photo Branch" shown at this year's festival and to meet so many talented people who care about documentaries.

    December 2024
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  • Jennifer Lin

    Loved this festival! What makes a good festival is not only the organization of the event, but a welcoming community. And in Sag Harbor, folks really support this festival and made our experience one of the best this year.

    December 2024
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  • Heather Dune Macadam

    A wonderful festival! Full of quality films, brilliant filmmakers, and beautiful cinemas all in the charming town of Sag Harbor. It was such an honor to have our World Premiere at HDF and to be the recipient of the Human Rights Award for 2023. Thank you to Jacqui Lofaro, all of the festival coordinators, volunteers, and filmmakers who make this a top-notch festival year after year.

    December 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Heather. Your film deserved the Human Rights Award and every accolade from our audiences. Keep making films like 999: the Forgotten Girls of the Holocaust. They are important and relevant.

  • Eric Stange

    I was thrilled we got to screen our short, Pony Boys, at Hamptons Doc Fest this year. It’s one of the best festivals I’ve ever been part of, hands down. The programming is excellent – clearly the organizers value quality over quantity. I got to see remarkable films by well-known documentarians and by emerging filmmakers alike. Jacqui Lofaro, Jackie Leopold, Karen Arikian and the whole team go out of their way to introduce filmmakers to one another and foster a warm, collegial atmosphere. Unlike many festivals, films were not screened simultaneously (for the most part), so you don’t have to make those hard decisions about what to see. Julie Anderson, Andrew Botsford, Roger Sherman and others conducted insightful, informed Q-and-A sessions that hit just the right mix of insider/film business questions along with topics of interest to the audience at large. The two screening venues are both excellent, the schedule ran like clockwork, and the tech worked just as it should. The festival has enthusiastic community support, and spending a long weekend in Sag Harbor without the summer crowds is a pleasure in itself. Hamptons Doc Fest is a rewarding experience on every level!

    December 2022
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  • Connie Tais

    Excellent festival! Everyone was so nice and committed to the films. Thank you to all the organizers. Very happy to have been part of it.

    May 2021
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